WEST MELBOURNE PLACE: FINAL DESIGN INTRO TO URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING ASSIGNMENT 3 ELLIOT LEVI (694359)
SITE ANALYSIS: LYNCH MAP AND TRANSPORT LYNCH MAP
LEGEND
N
NODE: A place with a variety of attributes that encourage people to gather and/or stay in place.
LANDMARK: Anything that can be seen from the street and used as a means of orientation by street-goers.
PATH: A pedestrian and
DISTRICT: Areas of distinct
P E T E R MC C A L L U M I N S T I T U T E
SCALE 1:5000
cyclist friendly route. NORTH MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
EDGE: Anything that cuts off existing or potential street life, eg. large/busy roads, tramways, fences etc.
BLUESTONE CHURCH
character that are either conducive or not conducive to the presence of ‘street life’.
EL IZ AB ET H ST
KEY INSIGHTS:
ET
ERRY ST REET
RE
QUEENSB
- Nodes are either in or on the edge of districts.
RE SIDENTIAL D ISTRICT
E RR OL S T. D IS TR IC T
- Peel Street is a significant barrier between the QVM district and all others.
QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET
VICTORI
- King Street is a significant barrier between the site and the rest of West Melbourne.
A STREE T
S T . MA R Y S T A R O F T H E S E A
- All nodes and districts are connected by paths.
QVM DISTRICT
- Despite the fact that paths connect districts, there’s no natural or obvious flow of movement between them: people in one rarely end up in another.
SITE DISTRICT
LOCAL PARK
TRANSPORT KEY INSIGHTS: KIN ET
AB
CE
H
ST
ST
RE
RE
ET
- Busy streets have heavy traffic flows and are extremely noisy, making them unfriendly to pedestrians: cars dominate the street.
ET
R
TR
RE
IZ
EN
LA
ST
EL
ET TRE G S
SP
FLAGSTAFF GARDENS
E OB
- Wide, well-maintained roads around the site connect it to other parts of the city and are the dominant means of transportation to/from the site area.
ET
- A couple of tram stops are located around the site and are within walking distance. Improving infrastructure may open up opportunities. - Around the site, few bicycle-only lanes are available, which may prevent people from approaching the site via bicycle.
SITE ANALYSIS: MATERIALS AND CONSTRAINTS & OPPORTUNITIES MATERIALS & STREET FRONTS
KEY INSIGHTS - MATERIALS: The area has a strong sense of heritage due to the many brick and some bluestone facades. However, more contemporary building materials such as concrete and metals are becoming more popular, providing a strong juxtaposition.
VICTORIA
This is not detrimental to the character of the area and instead works to synthesise the old with the new, giving a dynamic feel to the area’s built form.
STREET
CONSTRAINTS & OPPORTUNITIES CONSTRAINTS WI
Multiple retail, dining and commerical street frontages improves the level of street life here.
LL IA RE
- There are large physical barriers between the different districts we identified; the most significant of these are Victoria Street, Peel Street, and King Street. - The site is not connected to major destination around it such as the Queen Victoria Market and Errol Street.
ET
S
N
RE
ST
HOWARD ST REET
M
RO
Y SL
ST
- The area is dominated by cars, with wide streets, huge amounts of parking, and large roads cutting areas off from each other.
Row of rendered brick terraces lend an old Melbourne feel to the pedestrian
ET
OPPORTUNITIES - The site is close to the CBD, and with appropriate modifications could be a destination easily reached either by foot or public transport. - It has a great deal of history and heritage, with older buildings and laneways lending the area a relatively distinct character. - Some of the landscaping and water-sensitive urban design around the area is of high quality.
The variety of materials around the site gives the pedestrian a sense of the growing diversity in the area
- There is a large amount of space, most of which is currently taken up by roads, that could be transformed into useful and interesting public space.
LEGEND BRICK
BLUESTONE
CONCRETE
CONCRETE & STEEL
SANDSTONE
GREENSPACE
RENDERED BRICK
ACTIVE STREET FRONT
FINAL DESIGN: VISION, DESIGN CRITERIA & OTHER CONSIDERATIONS DESIGN VISION A place with a significant number and diversity of businesses, activities, and institutions that’s connected to major local landmarks, principally the Queen Victoria Market and Errol Street. It will be responsive to the communities of North and West Melbourne, allowing workers and residents to contribute to the space and make it theirs. Development must be respectful of existing conditions and local heritage, but must also respond to the growth and development context of greater Melbourne: as a component of an inner city area, the site must acquire the density and intensity of the city and become easily traversable on foot and by bicycle.
INSIGHTS FROM PARTICIPATE.MELBOURNE - Most residents don’t appear to want buildings greater than five storeys high. - Most residents would like to increase green space per capita. - Most residents would like a higher number of bars, restaurants, and cultural institutions. - There are mixed feelings regarding the intensity of uses in the area and whether or not it should become more urban or remain quiet and family friendly: this is a dichotomy to be carefully considered and negotiated.
DESIGN CRITERIA - Connect the site to the to adjacent districts. - Address the dominance of cars and replace it with pedestrian and cyclist-friendly infrastructure. - Allow for increased densities allow buildings fronting the site (and other key areas) to be easily converted to have active frontages/multiple uses. - Take advantage of the site’s heritage assets and its proximity to the CBD. - Ensure workers, residents, and locals have an opportunity to make the space theirs/make a contribution.
TARGET AUDIENCE The target audience is the existing and future community of the area; however, emphasis will be placed on the fact that the population is set to get larger and more diverse. A crucial assumption is that people living in the area will be seeking out, or at least willing to accept, a more ‘urban’ lifestyle: intensity and diversity of activity and higher densities.
DESIRED DIVISION OF EXPERIENCE ACROSS SITE - The majority of the site will be designed for a relatively high number of people to be present at a given time: between the new structure and the renovated old one, there will be a seating and socialising area for intense use; the pockets adjacent to active street fronts will be similarly designed. - The northern part of the site, bordering the church and Victoria Street, will be quieter and have more of an emphasis on landscaping/green space.
FINAL DESIGN: 1:1000 PLAN A
N
LEGEND EXISTING STRUCTURE NEW STRUCTURE HARDWOOD
SCALE - 1:1000
WATER SEATING DESIGNATED CROSSING TRAM ROUTE BIKE PATH GREENSPACE - TURF PLANTING TREE ACTIVE STREET FRONT 1:250 DETAIL AREA 1:50 DETAIL AREA
A
FINAL DESIGN: SECTION AND RATIONALE SECTION A-A 1:1000 EXISTING STRUCTURE REPURPOSED AS PART OF PERFORMING ARTS/MUSIC/COMEDY COMPLEX WITH NEW STRUCTURE. SECONDARY PAVED AREA
PRIMARY PAVED AREA
CAPEL STREET TRANSFORMED INTO ROUTE BETWEEN QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET AND SITE WITH EXTRA GREENERY, PATHS SIGNAGE AND ALLEYWAYS THROUGH INTERVENING BLOCKS.
GREENSPACE
DESIGN RATIONALE The design for West Melbourne Place is based loosely on the atmosphere and range of functions that characterise successful squares in Spain, France, or any number of other European countries. It features two core types of area: quieter greenspace and active areas with shops and cultural facilities designed to promote ‘street life’. Active areas are mostly along the edges of the site, principally Howard and William Streets, where street furniture, greenery, and many shops, restaurants, and the like should attract a large number of visitors, which in turn will attract still more visitors. An additional ‘active’ area includes a performing arts complex, which will host events of various kinds and itself includes bars and a coffee shop (see forthcoming pages for details). Between these ‘active’ areas is a large green space with some existing plantings removed to connect disparate areas and create a more conventional park (or parklet). The parklet’s proximity to such a large number of business and cultural facilities, as well as St. Mary Star of the Sea, should ensure it has a large number of visitors throughout the day. Finally, the design connects West Melbourne Place to West and North Melbourne and the Queen Victoria Market. It connects it to the latter by removing two structures along William Street and replacing them with a narrow, small-lot shopping street, thereby linking it to the alleyway that leads to Capel Street, which itself includes extensive greenery, further active street frontages, and a dedicated pathway to the market. It connects it to North and West Melbourne by way of a dedicated crossing over Victoria Street, where pedestrians, cyclists, and trams are given priority over cars. The design of crossings will make their function clear to drivers. Several such crossings are placed strategically around the site (see 1:1000 plan).
FINAL DESIGN: 1:250 DETAIL/NEW STRUCTURE SITE DESCRIPTION NEW STRUCTURE: MULTI-PURPOSE VENUE, CAFE AND BAR
N SCALE - 1:250
POROUS BLUESTONE WALKWAY WITH SEATING ON EDGES
This is a multi-purpose performing arts, music, and comedy complex managed by a non-government not-for-profit. It includes a new structure designed to be transparent and easily traversed, as well as the existing structure retrofitted to include relevant facilities. Between the two structures is a landscaped bar and cafe space that includes a variety of plant materials and a water body. The two structures together feature two bars, a coffee shop, two indoor performance spaces and a flexible rooftop area.
ALL GREENERY: SELECTION OF LOW WATER USE PERENNIAL SPECIESOF VARYING SIZE.
WATER FEATURE: EXTENDS UNDER SEATING AREA AND INCLUDES SMALL FOUNTAINS FOR RUNNING WATER AMBIENCE
MODIFIED EXISTING STRUCTURE HARDWOOD BAR AND CAFE SEATING AREA WITH MOVABLE CHAIRS
FINAL DESIGN: NEW STRUCTURE DESCRIPTION The new structure features multiple entries and exits to make it highly porous to foot traffic, as well as a rooftop which functions alternately as an open-air performance space and bar.
FINAL DESIGN: PRECEDENTS 1. REDESIGN OF STATIONSSTRAAT BY SWECO BELGIUM (2013):
PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THIS DESIGN THAT OFFERED INSPIRATION FOR THIS PROJECT INCLUDE: STREET TREES AT SAME LEVEL AS PAVING, SEATING BACKED BY LOW BUT DENSE PLANTINGS, AND THE USE OF WATER AT STREET LEVEL. REFERENCE: STATIONSSTRAAT / SINT-NIKLAAS BY SWECO BELGIUM. LANDZINE. (2013, DECEMBER). RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.LANDEZINE.COM/INDEX.PHP/2013/12/STATIONSSTRAAT-SINT-NIKLAAS-BY-GRONTMIJ-BELGIUM/.
2. HILLSIDE ECO PARK BY Z+T STUDIO (2016):
PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF THIS DESIGN THAT OFFERED INSPIRATION FOR THIS PROJECT INCLUDE: MATERIAL CHOICES SUCH AS CORTEN STEEL, CONCRETE AND WOOD, EXTENSIVE USE OF WATER WITH PLANTS ALONG BORDERS, AND TIERED PLANTINGS WITH SEATING AT THE EDGES. REFERENCE: HILLSIDE ECO PARK BY Z+T STUDIO. LANDZINE. (2016, SEPTEMBER). RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.LANDEZINE.COM/INDEX.PHP/2016/09/THE-HILLSIDE-ECO-PARK-BY-ZT-STUDIO/.
DETAIL: 1:50 PLAN N
1
MATERIALS
SCALE - 1:50 A 2
1. SHRUB: SALT BUSH
5. SHRUB: ACACIA FIMBRIATA
8 5
2. SHRUB: CORREA SP.
6. SMALL STREET TREE: FICUS MICROCARPA
A
7 4
3. SMALL TO MEDIUM STREET TREE: ACACIA PRAVISSIMA
7. PAVING - PRIMARY POROUS BLUESTONE
4. SMALL TO MEDIUM STREET TREE: BURSARIA SPINOSA
8. BENCHES AND ACCENTS: HARDWOOD
3
6
DETAIL: 1:50 SECTION A-A
CURVED EDGE TO BIKE PATH TO PREVENT SHARP COLLISIONS WITH CURB. SMALL STREET TREES FOR SHADE AND AESTHETIC INTEREST. SMALL STREET TREES DIVIDE BIKE PATH FROM REST OF SITE. ENOUGH SPACE FOR RESTAURANT AND CAFE SEATING AS WELL AS PEDESTRIANS.
TWO-WAY BIKE PATH: TWO METRES WIDE FOR EACH DIRECTION.
DENSE, MIXED PLANTING IN LARGE BLOCKS TO CREATE OUTDOOR ROOMS AND STRATEGIC BARRIERS.
MIXTURE OF FIXED AND MOVEABLE SEATING FOR CAFE AND RESTAURANT PATRONS AS WELL AS PASSERS-BY.
DETAIL DESIGN: PERSPECTIVE